806 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY 



SO called, and they are connected by a delicate supporting tissue. 

 The cells, which are capable of amoeboid movement, lie between, 

 and around, the capillary vessels, where they are arranged in 

 radiating rows converging towards the centre of the lobule. 



Bile-ducts. — ^These commence within the lobules as bile-capillaries 

 or bile-canaliculi, which are in reality intercellular passages. They 

 have a very delicate wall, and are bounded on all sides by the 

 hepatic cells — hence the name intercellular passages. According 

 to Pfiiiger and Kupffer, the cells contain vacuoles, which communicate 

 by intracellular passages with the bile-capillaries. The hepatic 

 cells intervene between the bile-capillaries and the capillary blood- 

 vessels. At the circumference of the lobule the bile-capillaries pass 

 into the small interlobular bile-ducts. These join to form larger 

 ducts, and these in turn go on joining until, on arriving at the portal 

 fissure, only two ducts result, which emerge one from each lobe. 

 These now join to form the hepatic duct, and this joins the cystic 

 duct to form the common bile-duct. The walls of the interlobular 

 ducts are very thin, being composed of a basement membrane lined 

 with polygonal epithelium. The larger ducts in the portal canals 

 have thicker walls, which, from without inwards, are composed of 

 a fibro-elastic coat, containing plain muscular tissue, arranged 

 longitudinally and circularly, and a mucous coat lined with 

 columnar epithelium. The mucous 'membrane of the larger ducts 

 presents numerous openings, which lead into blind mucus-secreting 

 recesses. The structure of the hepatic and common bile-ducts is 

 similar to the preceding, though on an increased scale. 



Lymphatics. — ^The lymphatic vessels of the liver are arranged in 

 two groups— superficial and deep. 



Superficial Lymphatics. — ^These form plexuses beneath the peri- 

 toneal coat, and have different destinations. 



Supero-anterior Surface. — (i) The lymphatics from the vicinity 

 of the falciform ligament enter that ligament, and, passing through 

 the diaphragm into the thorax, they terminate in the anterior 

 mediastinal glands. (2) The lymphatics from the right part of the 

 superior surface and those from the right lateral surface enter the 

 right lateral ligament, and, passing through the diaphragm, they 

 terminate in the middle diaphragmatic glands of the right sida 

 (3) The lymphatics from the left part of the superior surface and 

 those from the left extremity enter the left lateral ligament, and 

 pass to the peri-cesophageal glands in relation to the lower end of 

 the oesophagus, the efferent vessels of which terminate in the 

 cceliac glands. (4) The lymphatics from the anterior part of the 

 supero-anterior surface, except those from the vicinity of the 

 falciform ligament, turn round the anterior border of the liver, 

 and end in the hepatic glands within the small omentum. (5) The 

 lymphatics from the posterior surface of the right lobe pass between 

 the two layers of the coronary ligament, and, having pierced the 

 diaphragm, they terminate in the caval glands within the thorax. 



Inferior Surface. — (i) The lymphatics from the greater part of 

 the inferior surface of the right lobe, including those of the quadrate 



